Saudi Arabia has lifted the ban on domestic workers from the Philippines, which the Kingdom had imposed since since July. The ban followed the Philippines’ demands for domestic worker protections, prompted by widespread discontent voiced by Filipino citizens and NGOs.
After months of negotiat…
Brighter future ahead for OFW domestic workers in Saudi?
January 27th, 2012
Lebanese Minister of Labor promises to abolish sponsorship “kafala” system
January 24th, 2012
Lebanon Legislation Sponsorship
On Monday 23 January 2012, Lebanese Minister of Labor Charbel Nahas declared unacceptable that the Lebanese continue to hire foreign labor they violate the rights, as they continue to rush to the gates of the embassies in search of work and foreign passports. He added: “I am against the confin...
Reversing the blame in Saudi: another case of irresponsible media
January 24th, 2012
Gulf Housemaids Recruitment Agencies Saudi Arabia Spotlight Workers
Employment agencies, travel brokers, and other middlemen are far from innocent, praying on prospective migrants and employers alike. But the recent piece featured on Arab News seems to victimize employers – Saudis – alone, even suggesting that much of Saudi’s own reputation for human r...
Contention over UAE’s “unfriendliest” nation designation
January 21st, 2012
Forbes.com has ranked the UAE as the least friendly country in the world for expat workers. Countries trailing closely behind include Saudi Arabia and Qatar. The ranking was framed around the HSBC’s Expat Explorer Survey, which polls expats across 100 countries regarding their “ability to befri...
More Indonesian migrants escape death penalty in Saudi
January 18th, 2012
General Legal cases Saudi Arabia Women
In what appears to be another last-minute success story from Indonesia’s migrant worker task force, two women have been granted reprieve from death row. One woman had been accused of practicing witchcraft, while the other was convicted of murdering her employer’s young child. Both women are ...
Israel passes indefinite detention bill
January 15th, 2012
Deportation General Israel Legislation Prison
Israel’s parliament passed an incredibly controversial law last week that permits the unlimited, indefinite detention of migrants. The law amends a 1954 statute pertaining to guerrilla fighters penetrating the Israeli-Egyptian border. By sactioning the same wartime punishment against alleged terro...
Group urges manhunt vs. killer of Filipino migrant worker found dead in Manila airport
January 13th, 2012
A Filipino migrants’ rights group urges today the authorities to conduct a thorough investigation on the death of an overseas Filipino worker (OFW) who is believed to have just returned from her work but was found dead inside a suitcase at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) 2 pay parkin...
OFW who died in Syria was possibly hit by stray bullet, says migrant group; urges Philippine Foreign affairs dept. to probe deeply
January 11th, 2012
A Filipino migrant rights group in the Middle East is not discounting the possibility that an overseas Filipino worker (OFW) who was reportedly killed in Syria was hit by a stray bullet while attempting to escape from her employer’s house in Homs, 160km away north of Damascus, Syria’s capital. Y...
Spotlight on migrants in Oman
January 10th, 2012
MidEastPosts.com has featured a striking piece depicting the marginalization of migrants in Oman. “A Taboo Subject: The Desperate Plight of Domestic Workers in Oman” is written from the perspective of an Omani citizen, contributing to the growing number of criticisms voiced by MIddle Eas...
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